Friday, January 9, 2015

Hip Hip Hooray - Unity Friends with Flair


Happy January!  hahaha...

"Even overweight cats instinctively know the cardinal rule:  when fat, arrange yourself in slim poses."
                                                                 --------------John Weitz

Hi, Friends.......

Ugh...I've been on the sick and injured list all this week.  I came down with the bug on Monday and have been so sick all week....ugh..  Then that same day I took a nasty fall.....just stumbled on a chair leg like a clumsy old cow....and messed up my knee.....which was already injured from a fall a few weeks ago!  (What is wrong with me???)  I was in bed the rest of the day with my knee elevated and iced.  That helped a lot!!  I never thought I would want a joint iced, but it hurt so bad and swelled so alarmingly large....Eeek!  After the first few minutes it was blissfully numb, and I was very happy to have ice on it.  It is a lot better now...and quite colorful.  (Only crafters can appreciate the color palette of bruises, right?  Ha!!!)  I am so very grateful I didn't have to go to the doctor.

Today, for the first time, the bug I caught finally allowed me to be out of bed and actually doing something at my craft table...in between naps!  I knew I wanted to make a Unity Friends with Flair card and I had several ideas and techniques swirling in mind to try out for my card.  It didn't turn out exactly as I had planned, but it is a start.  To be truthful, I was so craft-starved that I wasn't going to be too picky about how things came together!  I just wanted to be at my craft table!!!  So, thanks to Unity, I dragged myself out of bed to make a card!  :)


I hardly ever pull out my gesso, but I knew I wanted to stamp on a gessoed surface.  I wanted the snowy look, but discovered an advantage of gessoing the cardstock was that my watercoloring didn't soak through at all.  Nice!!

I gessoed my cardstock and stamped the image (Unity - I Tweeted) in Memento - London Fog.  I painted the image with my waterbrush and Gelatos that matched the palette colors.  

Another thing I wanted to try was painting with Perfect Pearls.  So I went back over some of the areas with some new colors of Perfect Pearls by dipping my moist waterbrush in a coordinating powder and brushing over the area for some additional sheen.  This is the first time I had done this.  I love the effect!!  I will be experimenting with this technique more in the future.  I have LOTS of new colors of Perfect Pearls, since they are my latest obsession!!  :)


You can see the shimmer and shine from the Perfect Pearls in the angled photo below.....and the sparkle of glittery snow I added.

I pulled out my Unity - Hip Hip Hooray stamp and stamped it on vellum three times and heat embossed in white.  (Don't you usually say it three times???)  Beacon 3-in-1 seems to work well with vellum without much show-through.  That's what I have been using for attaching vellum lately.

Hope you like my card.  I have two new followers that will be introduced in my next post.  I just can't muster up the energy to do adequate intros right now....so I will sign off for now.....and try to get well.  Ugh...

[UPDATE:  Most of this post was written Thursday night.  Friday morning I am feeling quite a bit better!!  Yay...Light at the end of the tunnel!!]

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1.  Unity Friends with Flair Link Up
2.  Word Art Wednesday Challenge #165 - Anything Goes
3.  Vandicrafts Artistry Challenge Jan 2015 - Anything Goes
4.  Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Use Something New
5.  The Paper Girls Challenge #71 - Let's Sparkle and Shine

36 comments:

  1. Janis, you've had a rough week! I'm glad that you were able to get some creative me time in - I know that will go miles to making you feel better! Thanks for sharing your cute card with us at the SImon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge!

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    1. Thank you, Lin. Yes, crafting was a pick-me-up. We need that, don't we!! Thanks for your visit and nice comment!!

      <3
      Janis

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  2. Well Janis, considering what you have been through, your adventure with Gesso has been very successful. I hope you will be back again. Thank you for taking time to post your lovely art with us.
    Blessings
    Carole
    Word Art Wednesday

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    1. Thanks, Carole. The gesso was an experiment. I really need to work with it more and try new things. Thanks for stopping by!!!

      <3
      Janis

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  3. Lovely card. Hope you are better soon.

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    1. Thank you! Two naps today have helped my spirits and have probably sabotaged my sleep tonight. Ha! (ugh...)

      <3
      Janis

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  4. So glad to hear you're feeling better after such a rough week! Crafting is the cure for what ails ya :) Very nice card, the snowy effect is wonderful!

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    1. Thank you so much, Crystal! I totally agree abt the crafting cure!

      <3
      Janis

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  5. Very pretty card. Get better soon.

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    1. Thanks for your nice comment and well wishes!!

      <3
      Janis

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  6. What a cute card! Thank you for sharing.
    Good to hear you are feeling better....hope for 100% very soon!

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    1. Thanks, Brandi! I appreciate your visit and wishes for my recovery. My knee will be reminding me to be more careful for awhile, I think! :)

      <3
      Janis

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  7. Wonderful card! I am glad you are doing so much better...take care!

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    1. Thanks, Dawn. I am definitely trying to be more careful. I think I get in too much of a hurry, sometimes. Slow down and craft. That should be my new motto. :)

      <3
      Janis

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  8. Adorable card! Love the colors!

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  9. Oh argh...sick AND injured....how awful is that? I hope that your family brought you hot tea and soup at the very least! I'm glad to hear that you're on the mend...and even strong enough to play with gesso and Perfect Pearls...yay for you! This is such a cute and whimsical card....and the glitter detail gives a nice frosty look to the background. Personally, I find that a little crafting has a healing effect, and I see that this adorable card set you on the road to recovery just fine. As always, I got a giggle out of your hilarious cartoon up top!

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    1. Yes, sick and injured.....might as well get it all done in one week, right? Ugh!!
      My family was very nice to me. They fended for themselves and moved every little thing out of my path so I wouldn't crack my skull next time! Little Peach crept into my room one evening while I was dozing and left a little battery operated tea light burning on my night table for me. It was so sweet!! When I woke and saw it there, I knew she'd been wanting to help me feel better. :) Awwwww.....

      <3
      Janis

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    1. Thanks, Lagene! I am still at the experimental stage with those Perfect Pearls. :)

      <3
      Janis

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  11. I am so happy you are starting to feel better Janis. ..you've certainly had an unlucky time health wise. Here's hoping the rest of 2015 is a healthier one! Your card is a cutie, love the image on top of the gesso ( love ) and the pearls make it extra special! Xxx

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    1. Thank you, Tracy! I appreciate your kind words!!

      <3
      Janis

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  12. Glad you feeling somewhat better . There are a couple of techniques here that i am adding to my "to do" list I especially like the perfect pearls effect Good job.......Lis

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    1. Lis, thank you for stopping in and leaving such a lovely comment!!

      <3
      Janis

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  13. What a series of sickness and events! Glad you are on the mend. Love the added sparkle to your card.

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    1. Thanks, Mary Anne. Your visit means a lot to me!!

      <3
      Janis

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  14. Glad you are feeling better. I like all the techniques you tried on your cute card.

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    1. Thanks so much, Sue!!! Your kind comments are always an encouragement!!

      <3
      Janis

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  15. What a fun project and adorable card! Love the shimmer! So glas you are feeling better after a double whammy kind of week - hope the knee is better, too!

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    1. Thank you so much, Miwa!!! I appreciate your sweet comment!!!

      <3
      Janis

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  16. Hi Janis! By now I hope your bug and knee are both better. I trip and fall all the time too so I can relate! :) Cute card love the snow effect. Thank you for sharing on this months Artistry Challenge. Melissa - Vandicrafts

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    1. Thank you, Melissa! So good to see you popping in here. I am doing so much better after my knee mishap and bug. Don't be a stranger!!!

      <3
      Janis

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THANK YOU so much for taking the time to leave a comment. Your kind words encourage me so very much!!!

Have a lovely day!
<3
Janis